Tuesday, 28 August 2018: Impressive colt Brutal led home a Karaka quinella when he stepped up to stakes level in the Listed Mitchell McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Bought for $NZ220,000 at the 2017 NZB Karaka Premier Sale, Brutal created a huge impression with a five lengths romp on debut at Caulfield on July 14.
The McKenzie Stakes was the O’Reilly colt’s next test along the road to the G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in October.
With Dwayne Dunn in the saddle Brutal chased down the $130,000 NZB Karaka Premier Sale graduate Tavisan (Tavistock) and lunged for the line to win by a long neck.
Brutal, bred by Ruth Kerr-Taylor and her daughter Anne Storey, has now had two starts for $A128,000 in prize-money. He was offered by Mapperley Stud at the 2017 Premier Sale where he was purchased by Hawkes Racing for a big syndicate of owners.

Brutal

From the final crop of Waikato Stud’s former champion sire O’Reilly, Brutal is a son of the G3-placed mare Alberton Princess (Golan).
She is the dam of two other winners including Brutal’s stakes winning full sister Talaria. Brutal is the 89th stakes winner by O’Reilly, who died in 2014 at the age of 21, leaving 18 crops.
Alberton Princess was purchased for $75,000 by trainer Gary Hennessy the year before Brutal’s sale at the 2016 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale while in foal to O’Reilly’s son Sacred Falls.
Her Sacred Falls colt was sold to David Ellis for $170,000 at this year’s Karaka sale.
Alberton Princess has a yearling colt by Ocean Park and was served by that sire again last season. She is currently in Australia where she will be served this season by Ribchester.
Alberton Princess is out of the Strausbrook mare Straussbridge and is a half-sister to the G2 winner Te Akau Rose and a three-quarter sister to G3 winner Lady Alberton.
Brutal’s third dam Alberton Lass (Adios) produced G2 Wellington Guineas winner Sir Alberton (Red Tempo) and G2 winner Alberton Star (Stylish Century).